Recognition and celebration of innovation and success, as both individuals and as team members, are par for the course of being a British APCO member. It is an important ingredient for galvanising a professional community spirit amongst the Association. Our former Chief Executive Ian Thompson, who passed away in 2020, was a great advocate for education and developing young talent within the public safety industry. The Ian Thompson Bursaries, launched in March 2023, are therefore a fitting way to continue the work Ian did to support new talent, promote British APCO and further its charitable objectives.
In November 2026, the British APCO Board announced that, after four successful years in which we have supported 15 Bursary winners, nominations were open for the 2027 Ian Thompson Bursary through until February 1st 2027. The award is open to applicants of all ages in their early years - ideally up to five years - of working or studying in the field of critical communications in public safety within the UK and Ireland; they could have a role in a user organisation, employed by a supplier or in full time studies.
The award consists of a bursary that will cover the cost of travel, accommodation, and ancillary costs, accompanying a British APCO Board member to (for 2027) either EENA (Malmo, Sweden), Critical Comms World (Amsterdam, Netherlands), NENA (Nashville, USA), ACPO International (Anaheim, USA), ACPO Canada (Vancouver, Canada), or ICCRA (Arlington, USA) or a similar event at the discretion of the Board. Further, it is our intent to continue to work with and support bursary winners as their public safety careers progress.
Recipients will be expected to use the opportunity to focus on an aspect of their employment/studies that will be seen as of interest and relevance to public safety communications and / or control rooms in the UK and Ireland. There will be an expectation on the individual to present their findings at one of our conferences (costs to be covered by British APCO) and to supply an article for the BAPCO Journal on their experience and findings. Both during the year of the award and thereafter, winners will have access to the Board members and Chief Operating Officer who will undertake an advisory/mentoring role appropriate to the circumstances and needs of the individual.
Guidance for Applicants
The Ian Thompson Bursary is intended to be awarded annually. We deliberately kept the application process simple – and our initial experience has proven that this has helped to encourage the widest possible range of applications. The Bursary is not limited to just one award per year; British APCO will make multiple awards if there are several strong submissions as has been the case in all four years since the launch of the Bursary.
Applicants are encouraged to refer to our Mission, Vision, and Values in the About Us section on the British APCO website and consider how their proposal supports these.
The judges will be looking to reward innovation and those with a desire to further understand the field of critical communications within the public safety sector. Importantly, they will be looking at how you will be able to feedback findings from the year to the wider British APCO community.
All nominations are treated in the strictest of confidence. Personal information is subject to the “need to know‟ principle; only the judges will receive this, and we will not keep this information once the final judging decisions have been agreed.
Click to apply
The deadline for submissions is 1st February 2027.
Winners will be announced at the British APCO Gala Dinner in Liverpool on Tuesday 23rd March 2027.
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